


BTS: Journey of Youth

by invertedworldwriter



Category: bts
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - BTS World, Fantasy, Friendship, Love Myself, Youth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:47:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22057264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invertedworldwriter/pseuds/invertedworldwriter
Summary: When seven of a school's most troublesome male students decide to ditch school one day to steal an old school bus, friendships are fated to form and chaos is bound to ensue. Their journey of youth is a memorable one... and it does not stop until the oldest from them, is caught in an inescapable time loop that blurs lines between the past and future.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. No More Dream

Future

Dreams, wealth, ambitions were no longer on his mind. The smeraldo white flowers sitting in the glass vase on the desk next to Jin's bed had long already withered away, crippled, almost as if contaminated by his loss of hope. 

The tapping rain outside the window filled him with longing and nostalgia, remembering the old school days with his friends- how their warmth, smiles, and laughter had always turned the grayest, gloomiest days into spring.

Uncertainty rippled through him, accompanied by the agony and remorse of not knowing what to do next. 

He sat on his couch under the glass chandelier and held the mysterious notebook, just like he did every day in his black and white room. The time loop would only continue; the same pattern over and over again. His friends needed him, but he simply did not know how to save them.

He blinked down at the notebook, then at the withered flowers, out the window where dreary rain fell, white curtain tied back once and for all, his old camera, sitting somewhere, forgotten.

That's when the epiphany occurred.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Present

Taehyung sneaked down the hallway of the teacher's offices.

With his black worn-out backpack slung over one shoulder, a mischievous grin, and a black leather jacket over his untidy school uniform, he looked like a wannabe gangster who was up to no good. 

He peeked into the office to see if there were any hostile teachers in his sight before darting past the door.

Before he could start feeling relieved, he turned and found himself nose to nose with the very principle of his school.

The principal, named Mr. Pa Bo, was, like his namesake, was known for being unaware of the happenings in his own school. Taehyung couldn't remember the last time anyone had been caught doing anything that warranted detention under Mr. Pa Bo's supervision. The teachers, however, were a different story. 

Taehyung's confidence did not waver under the dead-looking eyes of the principal.

"Hello there, young man," the principal looked him up and down. "Beautiful day outside, isn't it?" He motioned to the gray, dark clouds in the sky outside, as the weather always was.

Taehyung's gaze dropped to the principal's impeccable tie as he bowed in respect.

"Yes."

"What are you doing here, by the way?" the principal asked cheerfully.

"Just going to the bathroom, sir," Taehyung lied, flashing his signature goofy smile.

"Oh- well.. See you then. Don't forget to return to class." The principal smiled back, apparently finding nothing suspicious, and walked away. Taehyung bowed one more time and waited until the principal disappeared.

Just as he was about to continue with his mission, the principal suddenly stuck his head around the wall and shouted out to Taehyung. "Make sure to study well!"

Taehyung flinched and bowed one more time as the principal grinned at him and left.

He gave out a breath of relief. "Where was I?" he muttered.

He pulled the crumpled paper Namjoon had secretly given him, out of his pocket. On it was written the address and time they would meet.

Namjoon was Taehyung's closest friend and his Hyung. He was a tall, balmy boy, one of the smartest students in school. 

Although his parents despised it, Namjoon had dreams other than excelling in school, passing the CSAT, and getting a decent-paying government job. At the moment, his dream was to steal an old school bus he had tracked down earlier and stolen the keys of while studying near the office. The school did not need it longer, and instead of getting rid of it, unwisely decided to leave in an old warehouse nearby, a perfect location for their mastermind plot. 

And because it was Namjoon's dream, it was Taehyung's dream too.

"We'll steal that school bus, Namjoon," Taeyhyung whispered to himself, as he stepped outside. "Mr. Pa Bo isn't even close to having the brains to stop us. Just you wait and see."

He pulled his hood over his head, read the paper one last time, before sticking his hand into his pocket and running off, past the jail-like fence of the school and into the streets.

He ran past the main intersection with the sign, down a few blocks, and into an alleyway, where the entrance of the abandoned warehouse was. Panting, he stopped to look for his friend.

Kneeling against a brick wall, chewing on a stick of a lollipop, arms crossed, Namjoon was standing there, waiting for him.

Taehyung's lips instantly split into a wide smile.

When Namjoon saw him, he pushed himself off the wall, walked forward, and shook his hand.

"Hey man. How you doin'?"

"Have you got the keys to the bus?"

"They're right here in my pocket." He did not look happy. "But we've got a problem Tae. I just checked the warehouse... and I didn't see the bus there. Though, I swear it was there just yesterday..."

His sentence was caught off with the sound of an approaching engine. Namjoon's face seemed to drop.

Taehyung whirled around, scared it was a teacher from school hunting them down. Instead, to his surprise, he saw a large, yellow school bus, approaching them slowly and dangerously.

It slammed into a pile of cardboard boxes, sending clouds of dust into the air, before coming to a loud, screeching stop.

Coughing, Taehyung covered his face from the dust. Namjoon grabbed his arm, ready to run, but loud, familiar, young voices were heard from inside the bus.

"What? You call that driving, Hyung? You could have got us all killed!"

"The rearview mirrors are broken so I couldn't see my handsome face!"

"Wait- are those teachers outside?"

Silence hovered over them as the clouds of dust slowly parted. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath in anticipation.

Taehyung gasped when he saw the driver.

It was an older boy from his school, who was known for being the rich, handsome flirt.

"His name? What was it again?" muttered Namjoon. "Oh yeah... Jin."

Taeyhung never expected to see Jin- the same handsome Jin who always left pictures of himself in girl's lockers, made friends with teachers, and took countless pictures of himself with a pink little camera- as the driver and thief of the old school bus. He was one of the older students of the school, known for being the son of a renowned, rich family. Taehyung never liked rich folks. 

"Looks like we weren't the only boys plotting to steal the bus," whispered Taehyung glumly.

Namjoon was not paying attention.

The doors swung open and Jin walked outside smiling jovially.

"You have the second keys of the bus, don't you?" He waved an old key in the air at Namjoon.

Namjoon nodded, looking surprised.

"Well if you were thinking of stealing this bus like us, that must mean we aren't very different. Great minds think alike. Care to join us?"

Taehyung never felt more surprised in his life. It was all happening too quickly. Flustered, he looked at Namjoon for support. He did not want to be partners in crime with anyone else -whoever else was on the bus- except Namjoon.

"What do you think?"

Taeyhung did not reply.

Namjoon smiled understandingly and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's alright, man. Those jerks got the bus before us... but that's okay. Our dreams are beyond that. Right? We'll join those kids for now. They don't seem so bad."

They slowly walked towards Jin, who was standing on the last step of the bus waiting for them. Whoever else was inside were obviously other students from the school. Hearing the muffled yells and shuffles from inside, it seemed like they were having some sort of argument.

"I hope so," whispered Taehyung, as he took a deep breath and stepped into the old school bus.

He had no idea what he was getting himself into.


	2. We are Bulletproof

Taehyung stared in horror at the scene before him. It was clearly not the scenario he had in mind before he entered the bus.

One boy was standing on one of the seats of the bus, with another boy on the ground passionately attached to his leg. He was pointing angrily at a young boy, who Taeyhung knew as Jungkook in school, who was holding a fresh can of Sprite soda with one leg sticking out the window like he has about to jump out of the bus. All the way in the back seats of the bus, underneath a pile of old sweaters, there was some movement and a snore.

"THAT'S MY SPRITE," the boy standing on one of the seats said loudly.

"Not anymore." Jungkook grinned boyishly as he clutched the Sprite tightly.

Jin quickly hopped into the bus to see what was going on.

"Now, what in the world are those little whippersnappers-" his eyes snapped into anger when he saw Jungkook, "GET YOUR FOOT AND BLESSED THIGH BACK INTO THE BUS, YOUNG MAN BEFORE I-"

"Hyung," the boy on the seat interrupted poutingly. "Jungkook isn't giving me my Sprite back."

Jin rolled his eyes and sat onto the driver's seat. After Namjoon entered, the bus doors shut close.

"Jimin, please make them stop arguing," Jin ordered without looking back.

Jimin appeared to be the soft-looking boy with crescent eyes, hugging the angry boy's leg.

"Please guys, just share the sprite," Jimin pleaded, hugging his leg tighter and preventing him from attacking Jungkook. "You know I love you, Hoseok. Don't you?"

Hoseok and Jimin, thought Taeyhung. Those were their names.

The boy named Hoseok blinked down at him with teary puppy eyes. "Forgive me Jimin, It's just that-" seeing Junghook holding the sprite closer to his lips- "NO I SWEAR IF YOU EVEN BREATHE ONTO MY SPRITE-"

Instantly, he jumped out of Jimin's arms as if born an acrobat, and lunged towards Jungkook, who quickly pulled his leg out of the open window and jumped into another row.

"Everyone sit down!" Jin yelled. "I'm about to start driving again!"

The two boys were not ready to sit down. They began fighting in one row, making the bus shake.

The lump in the back of the bus suddenly stirred and a voice yelled out, "You woke me UP."

Hoseok and Jungkook froze. They looked at each other, fear in their eyes, and ducked down fighting their way under the seats to hide.

Out from the lump of clothing emerged another boy, an older student from the school. Half asleep, yawning, rubbing the back of his jet black hair, he slowly stomped to the front of the bus.

"Where are they?" he growled. "Those two trouble makers?"

He was about to look under the seats, but saw Namjoon and froze.

"Joon?" he said, blinking.

"Yoongi?" Namjoon smiled. "Nice to see you."

He turned to Taeyhyung. "We take some classes together in school."

Yoongi smiled wryly at Taehyung. He had small eyes and pale skin, and looked quite like someone who dreamed of being reincarnated as a rock in the next life.

Taehyung waved awkwardly, trying to grin.

"Why are you here?" Namjoon asked Yoongi.

Yoongi shrugged. "Got tired of going to school, day in and day out. Woke up this morning thinking, school? Not today. How about you two?" He rubbed his cheek, where a bit of drool was left behind.

Taehyung grimaced, while Namjoon answered. "Just taking a pleasant stroll- no actually... to be brutally honest, we came to steal this bus, but you guys stole it before us, so here we are now."

By now, Jungkook and Hoseok had crept out of their hiding spots and were looking curiously at Namjoon and Taehyung. Jimin was peeking at them from behind one of the seats a few rows back.

Yoongi suddenly noticed the noisy pair, the instigators of chaos, the two devils that woke him up: Hoseok and Jungkook. His facial expression changed from tired to deadly. He lunged after them. Taehyung winced. Although they had just met, the sleepy uncle even scared him.

They jumped over seats and used the best of their baleful acrobatic skills to launch away, while Yoongi, less spry, dived after them with all his might. A wild chase ensued and the bus started shaking again as it drove on, through an empty street, and into a haunted-looking alleyway. And then suddenly-

"GUYS STOB IT!" Jin screamed, his hands controlling the wheel like how a noob would play a video game- which did not promise good consequences.

"AAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH." The bus swerved trying to avoid a trash can and instead hit a puny brick wall surrounded by deformed cardboard boxes with a great BOOM. The bus's back side flew up from the impact.

Everyone inside the bus launched into the air. Jungkook fell on top of Hoseok, and Jimin hugged the seat dramatically, preventing himself from flying in the air like everyone else.

Namjoon, Taehyung, and Yoongi held onto the front seats comically, their feet barely touching the ground, while Jin flew up in his seat, still holding the wheel.

"Whoops," Jin said plopping down back onto the driver's seat with a loud smack, holding the dismembered steering wheel.

There was a moment of silence. Everyone slowly stood up to examine the wreckage, and looked around to see if everyone was in one piece and alive. Then Jungkook's voice came-

"A driver's license, he said. A DRIVER'S LICENSE. Look what you did now, hyung! You broke the entire bus," Jungkook yelled at Jin, after disentangling himself from Hoseok.

"Respect your hyungs, kookie," Yoongi growled, flashing Jungkook a life-threatening glare. Jungkook sunk behind the seat again.

"And who are these new guys?" Hoseok asked, standing up and brushing himself off while looking curiously at Namjoon and Taehyung, as if nothing had happened and as if he had just realized that they were there.

Jin stood up. "They are students like us: thieves, schemers, good-for-nothing. Therefore, they shall join our humble alliance. Don't bully them too much."

"I'm Namjoon, and this is Taehyung." Namjoon said gesturing at Taehyung. "Is everyone alright?"

Taehyung smiled up at Namjoon proudly. He was being a caring, affectionate friend as always.

"Guys!" Jimin's soft voice came from the back of the bus. His waved his phone in the air. "I got a missed call from my mom." He gulped, still hugging the seats.

"Wait- does the school suspect us?" Jungkook asked.

"I mean- seven teenage boys broke out of school at the same time, seventy cans of Sprite have been stolen from the teacher's lounge, and the old school bus went missing, all in consecutive order. What could they possibly suspect?" Yoongi snorted sarcastically.

"So what are we gonna do now?" Taehyung asked. It was his first time speaking up amongst them.

"I mean, I think the bus still works, just uh, without a steering wheel. I'm sure I can drive it more..." Jin speculated.

"NO," everyone said at the same time.

"Now we're stuck in this gangster alleyway, in a bus you broke," Jungkook said haughtily. Yoongi's cold stare made him slip back under the seats.

"It's okay. We're too cool for school," said Hoseok, sipping what little of Sprite was left in the can. 

"EXcuse Me. You guys kept fighting and getting me distracted," Jin snapped.

"I should go back to school. My mom is gonna be so disappointed and angry at me." Jimin said in a small voice, from the back of the bus.

Namjoon stepped up. "Yes- I think uh, what's your name- Jimin? Yes, Jimin is right. I know ya'll might find it hard to agree to, but the best idea is to return to school. We will get in trouble for coming late to school, but that's okay. It shouldn't get worse than this."

Surprisingly, everyone nodded in agreement.

Jin tried to push the steering wheel back into its place with a click, but it did not work. He gave up and dropped it on the floor with a bang.

As they packed their belongings, and made sure to leave no suspicious traces on the bus (like Sprite, for example), they talked about their team name- as if they were about to form some sort of gang.

"I like the 'nameless sleepers,'" said Yoongi, yawning.

"I like 'Sprite,'" chirped Hoseok, grinning brightly.

"I have an idea." Namjoon stepped forward. "What about 'Bulletproof Boy Scouts?'"

"Sounds like something we'll regret later on, but I like it!" said Jungkook.

"Bulletproof Boy Scouts it is!" yelled Jin, fist in the air.

In the corner of the bus, while picking up his fallen bag, Taeyhung smiled to himself. He never thought it would happen, but he suddenly loved the idea of being part of their team. The six boys were such fun to be around and they had accepted him so easily. They made him feel at home- or at least, the 'home' he had always dreamed about and never had.

"Let's get back to school and pray the teachers don't punish us too much," said Jimin hopefully.

One by one, as the team named "Bulletproof Boy Scouts," stepped out of the dysfunctional school bus and into the dark alleyway, Namjoon as their leader, Jin as their friendly elder, they held no more dreams in their minds and hearts other than fulfilling a promising friendship, ready to face the punishment the horrible teachers at their school had in store for them. Despite that, in those moments, together, they felt fearless.

They felt bullet-proof.


	3. N.O

When they arrived back at school, the Bulletproof Boy Scouts found a teacher waiting for them in the courtyard, holding a stick.

"Darn it. We're in trouble," muttered Taehyung. He pulled his hoodie over his head and stooped down when the teacher flashed a glare at him.

"I'm not afraid," said Jimin— but when he saw the stick, he looked like he changed his mind.

"So long with being bulletproof," whispered Namjoon. "That stick's gonna bang our brains out... like we have brains, to begin with."

"What are we going to do?" Hoseok said, trading nervous looks with Jimin.

"It's part of the survival of the fittest, guys. We're not number ones in the school so we'll have to face the consequences head-on," Suga said darkly from the back.

Suga was right. Even if Namjoon was one of the smartest kids in the school, and Jin was from one of the richest and prestigious families, like the rest of them, their names were on the "WARNING: Keep a Sharp Eye On" list hanging in the teacher's office.

They did not fit the standards adults imposed on them, and their rebelliousness only made it worse.  
"You seven young men are in MAJOR TROUBLE," the teacher huffed when they came close. Another teacher soon came walking from the entrance doors, followed by the principal Mr. Pa Bo, who looked very disappointed especially when he saw Taehyung. 

"LINE UP. NOW!" the stick-wielding teacher barked.

As if they were programmed robots that did what they were told, they hung their heads down to the ground respectfully and quietly as they were lectured.

"We don't ask much from you kids!" the teacher was yelling, waving the stick around crazily, missing Jimin's head by inches.

"Just come to school on time, every day, in uniform, with a good attitude, and get perfect grades to enter the best university and get a good job. It is all for your benefit! It will make you happy. Is that hard to ask for?? Instead, you guys are walking around the streets, causing whatever mess you were causing, completely ignoring the fact that school even exists..."

"It would make you happy, not us. It isn't our dream to be study machines, sir," said Namjoon quietly.

"What did you just say, boy?" the teacher stooped down and growled.

Namjoon bowed quickly. "I'm sorry for speaking out of turn."

Just then, everyone snapped their heads in Jungkook's direction who was giggling.

"See? This disrespect. These kids act like school is a torture place, when in reality, it's only a little hardship they have to endure," the teacher snapped, looking back as Jin quickly withdrew his hand from tickling Jungkook and acted innocent.

Mr. Pa Bo shook his head disappointedly in the background although it was clear that he did not care much about it.

"Coming to school late like this is unacceptable! They are terrible examples for the younger students!" He hit the ground with the stick making everyone including Mr. Pa Bo, jump. "What do you all want to be when you're older? Doctors? Engineers? Well, you'll be FAILURES if you don't focus on your study-"

Again, he was interrupted, this time, by a loud flapping sound. Everyone looked at Jungkook to see him uncontrollably flapping the sides of his jacket like a retarded chicken who still believed it could fly.

Yoongi quickly came up with an explanation. "Uh... um... it's just a habit Jungkook has..." He nodded understandingly at the teacher.

"Our Kookie wants to become a rabbit when he grows up," Hoseok chirped, opening another can of sprite and sipping it elegantly. "So he's flexing his arms to become a strong man... err... rabbit."

From the end of the line, Taehyung noticed that Junghook was trying to rid a bug that was on him. Next to him, Jin looked like a stone statue, frozen from fright, and about to faint. Taehyung had to choke down a laugh when he realized that the oldest amongst them was terrified of insects.

"Older... a...RABBIT," the teacher spluttered, horrified.

"How should we punish them?" the second teacher asked, in an attempt to change the conversation before the stick-wielding teacher lunged forward and smacked them from Seoul into the sky.

"Make them attend night school for the rest of the year?"

"NO!" the seven of them said in unison. Even Mr. Pa Bo winced from the pain of hearing the suggested punishment.

The teacher blinked in shock. "What? You dare—"

Mr. Pa Bo stepped forward to speak. "Actually, there is an old classroom that I turned into a storage room at the back of the building that needs a bit of cleaning. How about they stay after school for the next few days to clean it?"

The teacher sighed glumly. "Well... if you say so... I don't know..." he muttered.

The seven boys gave out a breath of relief at the same time.

Cleaning a storage room was not even close to being as torturous as attending night school. It was clear that all seven of them hated to include studying in any of their conversations, to fall under the continuous cycle of studying, to live like puppets like other students, to be captured in the dreams of adults. Who needs a good car or a good house when they were happy with stealing an old, broken school bus?

Everyone saying NO, they were saved.


	4. Attack on Bangtan

And that is how they found themselves standing in the old storage room of a classroom no one knew existed before after school as their punishment.

"It's a little dirty, but nothing impossible to clean. I'll be on my way home now, boys." Mr. Pa Bo smiled as he shut the door, leaving them alone in the room.

"A little dirty?" Yoongi snorted, scanning the room.

There was dust everywhere, on the broken, scattered chairs, tables, gray cabinets, forgotten instruments. They were practically breathing dust.

"We were so close to stealing that school bus and escaping this place," Jungkook said, picking up an old smelly sock from the floor. 

"At least we're not studying," Jimin sighed. Behind him, Hoseok was grimacing and pinching his lady-like nose at the sight of rotten food. Jin was examining his reflection in the glass of a shattered window.

They grouped up together to divide the work.

"Let's start with sweeping up the dust. We can use water from the bathroom. After that, we'll remove all the broken chairs and tables," Namjoon said. "There's also lots of glass on the floor from the shattered window—"

He was interrupted by a loud shriek. They all turned to see Hoseok standing on top of a table, terrified.

"SNAKEU," he cried. "I HATE SNAKEU."

Jin screamed and jumped onto the table, clinging to Hoseok. "Where? Where?"

He pointed to a slimy, green, snake-like rope on the floor.

Everyone jumped back. Namjoon hit the blackboard on the wall and the entire board came crashing down onto the floor. He dived away, crashing into some chairs, which broke too.

Silence hovered in the room as all eyes fell on the 'snake.'

Yoongi, the only one who hadn't reacted to it, bent down to inspect. He chuckled darkly. "No, it's not a snake. It's just a... err...hose?"

Everyone sighed in relief. But once again, another scream erupted in the air, this time, from Jin.

"BUGS. They're ATTACKING my FACE!" he screamed, swinging his arms around in the air trying to swat the pesky mosquitos who probably came to admire his face.

Namjoon ran to them to help, but the moment he touched their table, one of the legs of the table snapped in half and the entire thing crashed down, along with Jin and Hoseok, the light flashing from their eyes. They toppled over each other on the ground.

"Oops," Namjoon said, rubbing the back of his neck.

The fallen desk, however, miraculously revealed something they were not expecting to see... especially in the storage room of their strict school.

It was a piano.

Yoongi's eyes got wider and brighter. He smiled like never before, so happily, warmly, passionately, as he jumped over everything Namjoon recklessly broke and sat down on the piano chair.

Jungkook inched closer to Taehyung and whispered, "Yoongi loves playing the piano. It's his most favorite thing in the world."

Everyone watched in anticipation as he lifted the piano cover. He stretched out his fingers and hit the first note. The sound came, a little rusty and old, but nevertheless, beautiful. They stood in awe and silence as Yoongi played them a song.

The sun filtering through the window set a warm orange glow in the room. The piano, Yoongi's song, only made it warmer. Taehyung realized that he was smiling the whole time.

He heard Jungkook whisper to Jimin, "It's a shame his parents banned him from playing."

Enraptured by its hopeful melody, Taehyung asked, "What's the song called?"

Jungkook gave a sharp intake of breath through gritted teeth and looked upwards thinking. "I know song... but I don't know song name."

"I Need You," Jimin answered instead, smiling heartily.

Taehyung smiled back. Yoongi had a charming, visionary side to him? How oddly beautiful.

After some time, they finally started cleaning the room but were not progressing with it— Namjoon breaking everything he touched, Hoseok's eyes still being puffy and teary over Yoongi's piano music which made him more susceptible to seeing snakes everywhere, Jin getting bug attacks every other second— and they discussed starting a revolution against school, banning homework, tearing their stupid uniforms, and getting Namjoon elected as president.

"I like this room," Jungkook declared approvingly. 

"It should be out secret hideout," said Hoseok excitedly.

Somehow, he felt like it belonged to them, him and his friends. They had cleaned and explored it together. It was their new protection from the outside forces of the world attacking them. It had brought them closer. What would happen if Bulletproof proof boy scouts rose, and took over the world?

Chaos, thought Taehyung happily. Absolute chaos.

Jungkook opened an ancient cabinet and coughed as dust rose around him. When it cleared, he prepared to wipe it clean but then saw something.

He took a manga from the cabinet and gaped at it. "OH MY GOD. IS THAT-"

Everyone's head snapped up.

Jin snatched the manga from his hands. "It's Attack on Titan! Oh my GAWD my favorite anime!"

On the cover was a gruesome picture of a titan peeking from behind a wall. Tiny people were posed running away from it.

Jin hugged it to his chest, but Jungkook grabbed it away. "I found it first!"

"Wait a second. You guys like Attack on Titan?" Jimin asked.

"Of course. Don't you?" Jin pulled the manga away from Jungkook. Jungkook slapped him and tried to take it. It instantly turned into a wrestling match.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and the old, grumpy janitor of their school stepped inside the room. Jin dropped the manga.

"What are you boys still doing here?" he growled. "GO HOME NOW!"

Glaring at them, the Janitor shuffled them out of the room.

They walked outside together. It was already dark and cold.

"More like Attack on Bangtan." Hoseok laughed, looking back at the janitor.

They stopped at the entrance gates to say goodbye.

Yoongi shook Taehyung's hand.

"It was a pleasure meeting you," he said. "Next time, we'll really steal that school bus."

Taehyung nodded.

Jin slapped his back, laughing. "You're a handsome boy— not as handsome as me, but almost." He winked.

"See you later," Jimin said, waving.

He watched the boys walk away in opposite directions until their figures were completely not visible in the dark until he and Namjoon were the only ones left.

"Here. It's cold," Namjoon said, handing him his jacket.

"No, it's okay. I don't need it." He pushed the jacket away.

Even in the dark, he saw a glint of worry in Namjoon's eyes.

Taehyung turned away instinctively. "It's okay. I'll be safe at home this time. My dad is..." He didn't finish the sentence.

Even then, Namjoon looked worried. Lying was not an option in front of Namjoon who knew him too well.

Taehyung sighed and began walking away, hands in his pockets.

He heard Namjoon's voice behind, growing farther, say, "See you tomorrow."

Taehyung raised his arm but did not turn around.

He was alone now, walking through the damp streets, feet lightly skipping over the shadows formed by street lamps. The apartments he lived in were in the old, broken-down part of the city, not too far from their school. It was a quiet, peaceful end to the day... a crazy, unbelievable day... a day in which he had made new friends, a word foreign to him. They had named themselves the BulletProof Boy scouts. He wanted to scoff at how ridiculous it was; instead, he smiled.

A sharp pain jabbed his forehead. He winced.

What in the world...

The pain sharpened. He stopped walking. Suddenly, it grew darker.

He tried to shout for help, but nothing came out. The street was empty, no one being around to help him. Not even Namjoon. Like nearly always, he was alone.

Darkness enclosed around him. His knees buckled. He tried to grab something... anything to hold on to, before it was too late, before collapsing to the ground, fainting and submerging within complete darkness.


	5. Interlude

First, he floated in darkness. Complete silence and pitch black. He tried to move but couldn't. The darkness seemed to prevent him. 

Where was he? What was happening? 

He felt like a glitch lost in the depths of his very own mind.

Then, somewhere in front of him, a light began to configure. It grew bigger and brighter until shapes took form. It was an expanding picture— no, a vision. There was a person sitting on a bed in front of a wide window. He peered closer as the vision grew clearer.

The person looked young and familiar, like a boy from his school, like... like someone he recently met. He gasped when he realized who it was.

Jin.

Jin was sitting on a bed in front of a wide window. There were many mirrors attached to the white walls of his gloomy bedroom. He was staring sorrowfully down at an old photograph he was holding, sitting next to a bouquet of white flowers, a tear trailing down his round face.

"I don't know how to save them" he whispered.

Taehyung wanted to yell, "Save who? Where am I?" but before he could even open his mouth, the image in front of him flashed and changed.

This time, he was standing in a dark street. In front of him was Namjoon, his best friend, yelling hysterically and trying to open the door of a telephone booth.

Namjoon was crying out his name. "Taehyung." 

Taeyhung wanted to reach out and grab him, but he couldn't move or do anything, except watch him. Giving up, Namjoon kicked the door of the telephone booth and fell to his knees sobbing.

The image in front of him flashed and changed again.

This time, he was standing in the hallway of a hospital. Nurses and doctors were running around. Suddenly, on the far end of the hallway, a patient dressed in white slowly walked into view and turned to examine a dismal painting of a forest. Although Taehyung could only spot the back of the person's head, the patient looked familiar... like someone he knew...

Once again, his vision flashed and he changed location.

Why was he seeing all this? What is happening?

This time, he was standing solidly in a place most familiar to him: his own home. It was fearfully, dreadfully silent like someone was holding their breath from shock. He peered down at the hollow wooden boards of his apartment's floor, shattered glass of liquor bottles stippled around his feet. He squinted and saw... saw blood spattered on the floor. He blinked as the unwavering shapes of his hands slowly rippled into view. Blood dripped from his own fingers and onto the floor.

He screamed and his eyes flew open.

He was lying on the cold cement of the same street he had collapsed on. He pressed his hand against his head, realizing that it was still hurting. Without saying a single word, he scuffled to his feet, numb from the cold, and began running home.

It did not take much thought to register the correct conclusion. His past experience, and the details of the settings his mind caught, confirmed it. He was convinced. It was so obvious, clear as the daylight of a summer day in Seoul.

He, Kim Taehyung, had seen the future.


	6. Author Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Important author's note!!

Okay people, because I can't juggle uploading one story in two places, if you would like to continue reading this (and I PROMISE YOu it geTS bEtter) please head over to Wattpad and type in "BTS: Journey of Youth." My profile name is InvertedWorldWriter. You won't regret it. (And don't forget to subscribe to my Wattpad account).

Thank you so much!!! Love and appreciate you all!!


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